A computer network is a collection of interconnected computing devices that exchange data and share resources. In a packet-based network the computing devices communicate data by dividing the data into small blocks called packets. Certain devices within the network, such as routers, maintain routing information that describes routes through the network. In this way, the packets may be individually routed across the network from a source device to a destination device. The destination device extracts the data from the packets and assembles the data into its original form. Dividing the data into packets enables the source device to resend only those individual packets that may be lost during transmission.
Network service providers may deploy virtual private networks (VPNs) to extend two or more remote customer sites through a public network, such as the Internet, as if the public network does not exist. In a typical configuration, routers coupled to the customer sites define label switched paths (LSPs) within the public network to transmit traffic between the customer sites that belong to the same VPN. In some cases, a network service provider may deploy a virtual private local area network (LAN) service (VPLS) domain that comprises a point-to-multipoint layer two (L2) VPN established over the public network. VPLS domains are instantiations of emulated LANs. For example, VPLS domains transport L2 traffic (e.g., Ethernet packets) between customer sites via the public network as if the customer sites are included in the same LAN.
The routers coupled to the customer sites may then automatically signal pseudo-wires to carry traffic across the LSPs to other routers within the same VPNs. For each customer site configured on a given router, the network service provider manually configures a route distinguisher (RD), a route target (RT) that identifies the VPN of the customer site, and a site-ID used to uniquely identify the customer site within the VPN. However, manually configuring a unique site-ID for each customer site of each VPN established over the network presents a large burden on resources of the network service provider and may be prone to error.